Monthly Goal: My battle with sugar
When I first heard the American Heart Association’srecommendation for women was 33 grams or less of added sugar per day, it seemed reasonable. But after quickly calculating that 33 grams is 6 and ½ teaspoons, the realization hit me — I have been eating way too much sugar. By the time I finished my soy yogurt with granola in the morning I was already at 27 grams. That didn’t leave much room for the cookie or two I liked to eat after lunch or the soy ice cream to top off my dinner.
I have a definite sweet tooth, but it’s also fair to say I let that tooth have too much say over what I eat. It’s time for me to detoxify and cut down on how much sugar I put into my body. I used to think that because I ate well the rest of the time, it didn’t matter if I ate a dessert after lunch and dinner. Although it was a good way for me to easily boost calories, it meant I was ending most meals with a high dose of sugar.
Sugar has recently been tied directly to increased risk of diabetes and it’s no secret that sugar is addicting and damaging. Sugar over-taxes your body and it’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels (glucose). Sugar has been linked with insulin resistance, inflammation, weight gain, potentially “feeding” cancer, and decreased immunity.
So for the month of March I am going to break my addiction to sugar, one meal at a time. First I am going to cut out my after lunch desserts and all midday sweet snacks that are not naturally sweet like fruits.
[…] spent the past two years or so consciously limiting my sugar intake. I read Year of No Sugar and watched Fed Up. I’m acutely aware of what sugar does to the […]